00:03Medieval Italian village Brizighella was abuzz last weekend with news that new national hero Mercedes Young Gun Kimi Antonelli had
00:11been awarded the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy for 2026.
00:16The prestigious award, created in 1992 to honor the late great Bandini, who died at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix
00:24following a fiery crash, is given for a commendable performance in motorsport.
00:30Antonelli, who became the second Mercedes F1 driver to win the trophy in the last three years after teammate George
00:36Russell in 2024 and the 33rd overall, drove from classic track Imola to Brizighella in his father's GT3 car that
00:45was wrapped in a special Kimi livery.
00:48The standings leader also faced the media, where he not only poured cold water on rumors of a Ferrari switch,
00:55but preached harmony at the Silver Squad following fireworks on track in Canada.
01:01We don't want to recreate a scenery like Lewis and Rosberg, where internally in the team was a bit, was
01:10not the best.
01:11So, of course, we're going to race each other hard.
01:15We're going to race each other hard, but we'll try to be as far as possible, avoiding any crashes or
01:20contacts, because we want the best as well for the team.
01:24We want Mercedes to win as well.
01:27So, yeah, we're going to go at each other for sure, but in a fair manner.
01:35F1 has a contingency plan for the calendar's final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, should they have to
01:41be cancelled due to ongoing conflict in the region, with a decision needed before the summer break.
01:49F1's 2026 calendar has already been reduced to 22 rounds, following the cancellation of its events in Bahrain and Saudi
01:56Arabia earlier this year that created a five-week gap between Japan and Miami.
02:03And cost the sport more than 100 million U.S. dollars in lost revenue.
02:09F1 continues to monitor the situation, stating it has to be as pragmatic as possible, but knows it can't wait
02:16to the last minute due to the logistics and costs of moving a paddock full of people and equipment around
02:21the world.
02:23It's expected that should F1 be forced to cancel Qatar and Abu Dhabi for no Middle Eastern rounds for the
02:29first time since 2003, Las Vegas won't be 2026's final race.
02:40F1 TV commentator Alex Jakes has praised Alpine's Franco Colopinto, who has strengthened his place at Enstone with successive personal
02:48best places, 7th in Miami and 6th in Canada.
02:53Colopinto had scored just one point to teammate Pierre Gasly's 15 across the first three races, putting his future at
03:00Enstone at risk.
03:02But Jakes told the sports official podcast F1 Nation that it's the pressure that has forced him to up his
03:08game, with the split now 15 to 20.
03:14It's the motivation of keeping your seat in Formula One.
03:17He's the driver hovering over the exit with a team boss who is famously impatient if you're not performing.
03:24If he didn't have these results, he would be in trouble.
03:28Back-to-back personal best in Formula One is superb and it gives him a foundation for the rest of
03:33the year.
03:33Yes.
03:33Yes.
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